Tax Law Commons^™

The Cash Balance Controversy, Edward A. Zelinsky

Articles

No abstract provided.

Choice Of Small Business Tax Entity, John W. Lee

Faculty Publications

This article summarizes parts of Lee’s forthcoming article “A Populist Political Perspective of the Business Tax Entities Universe: Hey the Stars Might Lie But the Numbers Never Do,” 78 Texas L. Rev. 885 (2000). Conventional wisdom, says Lee, holds that the LLC, due to its limited liability and hassle-free single level of taxation, will supplant C and S corporations as the choice of entity for new businesses. In fact, in most jurisdictions corporate formations outnumber LLC formations 2:1 or more, and IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) projects that the S corporation will be the fastest growing tax entity for 2000 …

A Taxing Time For The Bishop Estate: What Is The I.R.S. Role In Charity Governance?, Evelyn Brody

All Faculty Scholarship

This piece, included in the University of Hawaii Law Review's symposium issue on the Bishop Estate, explores the relationship between the new intermediate sanctions law and the IRS's power to revoke tax exemption under § 501(c)(3). Inspired by the storied setting, I indulge in a fantasy: This article pretends that the IRS revoked the Estate's exemption, and takes the form of the Tax Court declaratory judgment opinion. I reluctantly 'rule' that exemption was not appropriate, because State enforcement action against the trustees was proceeding. (However, this forum allows me to hedge my argument by producing two concurring and one dissenting …

My First Grade Teacher, Jeffrey G. Sherman

All Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Electronic Commerce And The State And Federal Tax Bases, J. Clifton Fleming Jr.

BYU Law Review

The federal income tax does not apply to profits generated by pure mail order sales originating from outside the United States, and state and local consumption taxes are effectively inapplicable to pure mail order sales originating from outside the taxing jurisdiction. These conclusions seem fully applicable to federal taxation of income from sales that are initially solicited through Internet advertising and then transacted over the Internet between a customer in the United States and an out-of-country seller's out-of-country website. Similar conclusions are also, arguably, applicable in the case of state and local consumption taxes. Extension of the mail order tax …

Leveling The Playing Field: A Business Perspective On Taxing E-Commerce, Val John Christensen

BYU Law Review

No abstract provided.

One Country, Two (Taxation) Sytems: A Treaty In All But Name, Andrew Halkyard

Washington International Law Journal

It came as no small surprise when it was announced in February 1998 that the Chinese mainland ("the Mainland") and Hong Kong had agreed to enter into an arrangement for the avoidance of double taxation of income. Although concerns of double taxation between the Mainland and Hong Kong tended to be more academic than practical, this arrangement helps establish a firm foundation for future co-operation by the Mainland and Hong Kong on trade and other economic matters. From a Hong Kong taxation perspective, it is one of the most significant developments to have occurred for a very long time. From …

Environmental Taxes And Subsidies: What Is The Appropriate Fiscal Policy For Dealing With Modern Environmental Problems?, Charles D. Patterson Iii

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

No abstract provided.

E-Tax: Fundamental Tax Reform And The Transition To A Currency-Free Economy, Daniel S. Goldberg

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Equal Taxation: A Commentary, John A. Miller

Articles

No abstract provided.

International Estate Planning 101: A Basic Guide To Estate Planing For Non-Citizen Clients, Robin Rose Stiller

Akron Tax Journal

The United States has often been called the "great melting pot of the world" because of the large numbers of foreign-born individuals that can be found here. In fact, according to the 1990 U.S. Census, 19.8 million people living in the United States were foreign-born, including nearly 260,000, or 2.4%, of Ohioans. Nearly 12 million of those foreign-born and living in the U.S. were not U.S. citizens and in 1996, Ohio alone was home to 113,000 legal permanent resident aliens. In addition to these resident aliens, large numbers of nonresident aliens, such as the more than 19 million alien tourists, …

The Commissioner's Clear Reflection Of Income Power Under 446(B) And The Abuse Of Discretion Standard Of Review: Where Has The Rule Of Law Gone, And Can We Get It Back?, Jennifer C. Root

Akron Tax Journal

This article will first examine the evolution of the rule of law by examining the conceptual frameworks proposed by scholars to analyze the rule of law. The foundations of the rule of law taken from these scholars will be condensed into several principles applicable to modem tax law. These principles will then be used to illustrate how both discretion and adherence to the written law are necessary in order to promote a workable system of tax law promulgation, administration, and interpretation. The next section of this article will examine §446 of the Internal Revenue Code and the Commissioner's clear reflection …

Capturing The Harm: Defining "Tax Loss" For Use In Federal Sentencing, Bruce Zucker, Michelle Carey

Akron Tax Journal

The United States Sentencing Guidelines have set forth the system by which tax offenders are punished for violating the federal income tax laws. This Article explores the various methods that the appellate courts have used to define "tax loss" under the United States Sentencing Guidelines for purposes of sentencing enhancement for tax related offenses. It discusses the concept of "tax loss" for federal sentencing purposes, including the guideline provisions that drive the tax offender's offense level and ultimate guideline imprisonment range. It explores major circuit decisions which interpreted the proper implementation of the guideline sentencing factors. Finally, it examines issues …

Unfinished Business On The Taxpayer Rights Agenda: Achieving Fairness In Transferee Liability Cases, Steve R. Johnson

Scholarly Publications

The taxpayer rights movement has been a driving force of tax legislation and administration for over a decade. It has produced the Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TBOR) in 1988, the Taxpayer Bill of Rights 2 (TBOR2) in 1996, the Taxpayer Bill of Rights 3 (TBOR3) in 1998, lesser statutory initiatives, and an array of important administrative changes by the Service. While the future of the movement can be debated, it is clear that, for now, it remains a force to be reckoned with in tax policy.

This article advances a proposal to extend and complete one thrust of the taxpayer …

Rethinking The Progressive Estate And Gift Tax, Barbara Redman

Akron Tax Journal

This article will not review the philosophical arguments about the legitimacy of unearned wealth versus the right of a person to give as she pleases with her own accumulation. Rather, it will focus on a view of the tax not yet explored to any great extent in legal and political circles, but supported by recent economic research, and to argue, if not against the tax itself, at least against the progressive nature of the tax.

The Gordian Knot: Uniting Skills And Substance In Employment Discrimination And Federal Taxation Courses, 33 J. Marshall L. Rev. 303 (2000), Barbara J. Busharis, Suzanne E. Rowe

UIC Law Review

No abstract provided.

Piercing The Corporate Veil To Recover Pension Payments: It's Time To Address The Issue, 33 J. Marshall L. Rev. 497 (2000), Nella Disanto

UIC Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Unconstitutionality Of Eliminating Estate And Gift Taxes, James G. Wilson

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

The recent proposal to eliminate estate and gift taxes is not only immoral and a poor allocation of resources, but also is unconstitutional. Irrespective of their ideology, virtually all American lawyers will initially dismiss this accusation as frivolous because it conflicts with their tradition of equating conceptions of "constitutionality" with United States Supreme Court opinions. The Court has long been highly deferential to Congress in federal tax law cases. It is inconceivable that the current Court would find anything "irrational" in a facially neutral law eliminating all estate and gift taxes. Indeed, if I sat on that bench, I would …

Taxation-Constitutionality Of Indiana Gross Income Tax Act

Indiana Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Judicial Funding And Taxation Mandates: Will Missouri V. Jenkins Survive Under The New Federalism Restraints?, Janice C. Griffith

Suffolk University Law School Faculty Works

The judiciary frequently mandates costly institutional reforms to correct state and local governmental constitutional violations. This Article examines the unprecedented equitable power exercised by a federal district court in its oversight of a school desegregation remedial plan in Kansas City, Missouri at a cost exceeding $1.8 billion. The district court ordered taxation to ensure funding for the remedial plan and directed local authorities to disregard state law limitations that barred such taxation.

Dean Griffith criticizes the judiciary's disregard of remedial plan costs in devising institutional reforms. She proposes that courts apply a balancing test in the remedial process -- weighing …

Telford: Casting Sunlight On Shadow Governments—Limits To The Delegation Of Government Power To Associations Of Officials And Agencies , Leslie L. Marshall

Seattle University Law Review

This Note engages in three areas of analysis. Part II reviews the case of Telford v. Thurston County Board of Commissioner, which, for the first time in Washington State, confronted the issue of whether associations of state officials or agencies are the equivalent of agencies for purposes of the state Public Disclosure Act. Part III examines the broader implications of Telford: (1) whether the principles in Telford should be applied to other state safeguards and restrictions on government agencies, such as the state Open Public Meetings Act, (2) whether the constitutional requirement of one-person-one-vote should be applied to associations of …

Globalization, Tax Competition, And The Fiscal Crisis Of The Welfare State, Reuven S. Avi-Yonah

Articles

This Article examines the increased use of tax incentives as weapons in the international competition to attract investment. Professor Avi-Yonah argues that the establishment of tax havens allows large amounts of capital to go untaxed, depriving both developed and developing countries of revenue and forcing them to rely on forms of taxation less progressive than the income tax. He points to social insurance programs, many of which are already on uncertain courses as aging populations imperil their fiscal health, as likely to bear the brunt of the revenue loss that tax havens cause. Professor Avi-Yonah contends that both economic efficiency …

Charitable Choice And The Critics, Carl H. Esbeck

Faculty Publications

First, the statute prohibits the government from discriminating with regard to religion when determining whether providers are eligible to deliver social services under these programs. Second, the statute imposes on government the duty not to intrude into the religious autonomy of faith-based providers. Third, the statute imposes on both government and participating FBOs the duty not to abridge certain rights of the ultimate beneficiaries of these programs. I will touch on these three principles below, and do so in reverse order.

Determining A Partner's Share On Unrealized Receivables At The Liquidation Of The Partner's Interest, Stephen Utz

Faculty Articles and Papers

Partnership law allows partners great freedom to vary the terms on which they share partnership profits from different sources. Partnership tax law, however, seems to presume, for purposes of the collapsible partner rules, that partners will share the revenue from the collection of receivables always in proportion to the value of their partnership interests. This counterfactual presumption exposes both the government and partner/taxpayers to unfortunate consequences. A substance-over-form approach to the attribution of unrealized receivables would certainly be unworkable, because too costly and intrusive to administer. Something between substance-over form and form-over-substance would best implement the policy of Subchapter K …

Cash Balance Plans: They Work For Employers But Do They Work For Employees?, 34 J. Marshall L. Rev. 345 (2000), Deana Saxinger

UIC Law Review

No abstract provided.

Taxation, Allison Dunham

Indiana Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Recent Irs Letter Ruling Increases Opportunities For Exempt Organizations To Use Llcs, Monica Gianni

UF Law Faculty Publications

Monica Gianni discusses how the IRS’s analysis of a private operating foundation using an LLC in LTR 9834033 indicates the IRS’s approach to LLCs with exempt organization members.

Change Is Needed: The Taxation Of Alimony And Child Support, Laura Bigler

Cleveland State Law Review

When a marriage dissolves there are tax consequences for everything from distribution of property to custody of the couple's children. The current tax system for alimony and child support strengthens the possibility of financial devastation. Under the present system, alimony and child support have opposite tax treatment. Many complicated rules have been added to distinguish between alimony and child support, which will be discussed later in this paper. There must be a simplification of the present law so that the average divorced taxpayer will be able to understand and implement the rules with or without sophisticated tax counsel or an …

Commentary (Response To Article By H. David Rosenbloom), Reuven S. Avi-Yonah

Articles

David Rosenbloom has delivered an important lecture on an important topic:' whether exploiting differences between the tax system of two different jurisdictions to minimize the taxes paid to either or both ("international tax arbitrage") is a problem, and if so, whether anything can be done about it in a world without a "world tax organization." As Rosenbloom states, international tax arbitrage is "the planning focus of the future,"2 and recently has been the focus of considerable discussion and debate (for example, upon the promulgation and subsequent withdrawal under fire of Notice 98-11).3 Rosenbloom's lecture is one of the first attempts …

The Power Of The Treasury: Racial Discrimination, Public Policy, And "Charity" In Contemporary Society, David A. Brennen

Law Faculty Scholarly Articles

The Treasury Department is empowered to enforce “established public policy” with respect to tax-exempt charities. Under this public policy power, the Treasury has revoked the tax-exempt charitable status of organizations that discriminated against blacks, organizations whose members engaged in civil disobedience against war, and organizations involved in illegal activity. The Treasury interprets its public policy power as applying to any activity that violates clear public policy. Thus, presumably, the Treasury could use this power to deny tax-exempt charitable status to an organization that engages in conduct that violates assisted suicide laws, anti-abortion laws, or other sufficiently “established” public policies.

The …